Environment
YAHAYA Ibrahim, the Director, Center for Energy and Environmental Strategy Research, Kaduna State University has urged workers to plant economic trees as a retirement plan to support their financial needs.
Ibrahim gave the advice on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
Ibrahim, who also doubles as a Focal Person, Sustainable Fuel Wood Programme said planting of trees would help in fighting climate change, desert encroachment, deforestation, which could also come with financial benefits.
He urged government workers, groups and individuals to take advantage of the United Nation Development programme (UNDP) on forest development as part of preparation to retirement.
He said that the UNDP had been training people on how to plant fast growing trees that could re-germinate in a few years.
“Seven years before retirement, which will be cut down in systematic procedure to be sold as firewood or to pharmaceutical companies that use the woods for drugs.
“We did not know of planting fast growing trees and cultivating them for commercial purposes, all we know was to cut down trees from the natural forest for fuel wood.
“When we cut one tree, we are depriving 400 million organisms including man of a good life and survival,” he said.
According to him, workers need to know the different kind of trees and their commercial values to get the best out of tree planting business.
“We are encouraging them to have private farms and use the intervention of the UNDP to have bigger farms.”
He described Kaduna State as the highest Eucalyptus tree planting state that people derived financial benefits from the business.
“We are encouraging people to plant Baobab trees, which have the capacity to absorb pollutants in spite serving as a consumable product with vitamin A also to plant Tamarin and Butter trees.”
He called for increased awareness on tree planting to ensure safe and healthy environment. (NAN)
– Sept. 13, 2019 @ 15:09 GMT |
Tags: Plant economic trees as retirement plan – Environmentalist
